Boiler or still



V. L. EMERSON.

BOILER 0R STILL. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11. 191'9.

1,365,777, Patented Jan. 18,1921.

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V. L. EMERSON.

BOILER 0R STILL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11, 1919.

1,865,777, Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

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PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR, LEE EMERSON, OF FHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOILER on STILL.

Application filed December 11, 1919.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR LEE EMERSON,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boilers or Stills, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

The adaptation of boilers or stills to the distillation of petroleum is made diflicult by the hi h temperatures and pressures prevailing. Tn order to properly distil the petroleum oils, a temperature in excess of 7 50 F. is required, which is accompanied by a very high pressure. It follows that satisstrains and distortions. The high pressures will likewise require specal provision in the design.

It is an object of my invention to provide a boiler or still which is well ada ted for the distillation of petroleum oils. he number of joints is reduced to the minimum, and facility exists for an appreciable expansion of the parts in response to the considerable temperature changes. It is a further object of my invention to render easy the cleaning of the boiler pipes and their replacement when worn out.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a still in which the material is given a uniform heating and caused to circulate freely.

Further advantages will be'evident from the specification which follows and the drawings which form a partthereof.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows a vertical section of a still embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

One form of still such as contemplated in my invention is illustrated in the drawings and consists of two connected headers, one of which forms a vapor dome and outlet.

A plurality of circulating tubes connect the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Serial No. 344.087.

two headers and pass through the heating zone of a furnace. The lower header 4 is mounted upon a brickwork foundation 5 which ,is channeled as at 6 to provide ready access to the bottom of the header for cleaning. The bottom of the header consists in the main of a.closure plate 7 which is bolted securely to the wall of the header and provides against leakage. The sides of the header taper inward as at'8 and are pierced to receive the ends of the circulating pipes. The upper edge of the tapering walls 8 is bolted to a vertical pipe 9, axially located with respect to the header 1. An upper header 10 is provided with a. plurality of cylindrical members 11 and 12. The lower cylindrical member 12 rests upon a support 13 and has inwardly tapering walls 1 1 by which it is bolted or otherwise fastened to the pipe 9. The upper cylindrical portion 11 of the header is flanged for en gement with the corresponding flange on t e upper edge of the member 12 slightly above the support 13 and for a purpose hereinafter to be described. The upper member 11 is of considerable height and its top includes a plate 15 which carries an outlet 16 by which the vapors from the still may be carried off.

Connecting the tapering wall 14 of the upper header with the correspondingly tapering wall 8 of the lower header is a plurality of circulating pipes 17. These pipes are curved outward, and adapted to be sea-ted in apertures of the plates 8 and 14:. The flanges of the parts 11 and 12 of the upper header are so arranged that it is possible to remove the upper member 11 and to insert a curved pipe 17 through the hole in the upper plate 14 and into the corresponding hole in the plate 8. The pipe may then be fastened by boltin welding, or other analogous operation. he pipes 17 are arranged in concentric circles and slightly spaced each from the other.

The support 13 for the upper header rests upon a masonry or other foundation 18 to which it is held by the circular metal ring 19. The foundation 18 is generally circular and provides vertical walls 20 resting upon the ground or floor. The walls 20 are concentric with and spaced from/the wall 5 supporting the lower header. One side wall of the foundation 18 carries a flue 21 leadpipes 17 and delivers the heated gases to a circular compartment 23. This compartment 23 is formed by the annular wall 24 and the lining 25 surrounding the pipe 9. The wall 24: and the lining 25 meet at the base of the pipe 9 and extend upward for the greater length of the said pipe. The wall and lining are supported on the foundation walls 5 and 20. The wall 24: together with the wall 18 establishes a channel extending downward to the circular chamber between the wall 5 and the wall 20 which leads to an outlet 26 and thence to a chimney.

After the boiler or still has been charged with the material to be distilled, the heated gases from the furnace will rise through the fine 21 and circulate between the lining 25 and the wall 2& in a whirl. The heated gases then pass upward and circulate uniformly around the upper portions of the curved pipes 17. The gases are then diverted downward in the direction of the pipes to the chamber between the walls 5 and 20, thence through outlet 26 to the chimney.

The heat from the gases will passprimarily to the chamber around the. central pipe 9, thence in contact with the upper portio-ns of the curved pipes 17 and finally throughout the remaining length of the pipes.

In this way all portions of the still between the two headers will be subjected to varying degrees of heat. The material such as petroleum to be distilled will be readily affected; setting up convection currents which will maintain'a circulation in the following direction: upward in the curved pipes 17, and downward through the return p1pe'9. Any solid material will be segregated from the current in the lower header.

4e,and may be removed as convenient. The vapors from the fluid in the lower header and curved pipes will have a ready passage up the latter and into the upper header, from whence they can be drawn ed. The initial contact between the hottest gases and the fluid occurs in the upper region of the still. This aids the ready distillation of the volatile portions of the latter.

The lining 25, surrounding the pipe 9 for the lower part of its length, serves to shield the pipe from the efiects of the incoming gases. The wall deflects the gases and causes them to whirl around the pipe and deliver" their heat first to its upper portion. There will be, therefore, the minimum of retardation. to the fluid passing down the pipe.

It will be evident that the curved pipes are held only at their ends and that there is ample space for their expansion horizontally. Furthermore, by the removal of the upper portion 11 of the header 10 it will be possible to insert cleaning means into the pipes or if necessary withdraw individual pipes for replacement or repair.

The arrangement of headers vertically and the application of heat first to the upper portions creates most favorable conditions for vaporization. As both headers are fixedly mounted on the supporting base, full advantage is taken of the ability of the curved pipes to accommodate themselves to strain and protect the joints against leakage.

It is found of material advantage to construct the upper header capable of the removal of its upper section. The size oiv the upper sectlon may be varied to insure the.

quick withdrawal of volatile products free from priming.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A. boiler or still comprising an upper header and a lower header, :1 central vertical pipe therebetween, a plurality 0i curved tubes connecting the headers, and a wall between said pipe and tubes forming a heating chamber adapted to direct products oi s.

combustion upwardly against the upper end of said tubes.

2. ilt boiler or still comprising an upper header and a lower header, a central vertical pipe therebetween, a plurality of curved tubes connecting the headers, a heating compartment between the pipe and tubes, said compartment having an outlet at the upper ends of the said tubes.

3. A boiler or still comprising an upper header and a lower header, a central vcrtipartment, and a chimney flue leading from the lower ends of said tubes.

Tn testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

VTGTQE LEE EMERSON.

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